2020...the Year of Endings

This is one of those posts that I really want to write, but now

I've opened the page, I'm not actually sure how I want to begin...

or even what I want to share...

Anyway.

I don't know about you, but 2020 seems to have been thrown 

somewhere into the abyss.

I've spent my 20's worrying about what my future will look like, then just 

as I was beginning to make plans, the world went BAM,

 not gonna happen this year!

Back in February, I went to Ninh Binh (in Vietnam) for a few days. 

I was chilling in the hostel restaurant, when my boss called.

"I think it is best if you go home now, rather than later" she decided.

It was almost like she knew.

I got home the week before all the flights were cut, and a week or so before 

Boris Johnson confirmed lock-down in the UK.

In the last few months, I lost my job, my granddad passed away, 

and our dog has 

been diagnosed with lymphoma (a form of cancer.)

I've gone from working in the UK, to teaching in Vietnam, 

to being unemployed,

 to thankfully- and hopefully soon- teaching online.

It's been a lot to contend with in the space of six months.

How do we cope with so much loss all at once? What can we take comfort in 

during these weird, dark times?

To cope with unemployment, I've thrown myself into trying to advance 

my career online, and as a result, I've been successful and

 have been offered online work.

It's meant that I've had to completely re-adjust my original plans, 

however, throughout all the strangeness, I've realised that this has been 

what I've needed to do for myself, and actually, for me personally, 

the virus outbreak has been an almost cursed blessing in disguise- 

if that's the right way to phrase it.

I know that if I'd stayed abroad, I would have felt worse. 

Although I had friends 

in Vietnam, I think we all need the support of our family 

and to surround 

ourselves with our creature comforts in times of need.

I think I've always believed that something 

bad has needed to happen

 for all the world's governments to pull together and 

bring about change for their people- 

but we never expected anything quite like this. 

I hope this will make the Western side of the globe a 

kinder place, especially 

to those who are the most vulnerable.

I'm not really sure where this post is going... but I believe what we've all 

learned from 2020 is how short life is and how much we need to cherish

 what we have- because who knows what's around the corner, for any of us.

If  you're having a hard time- whether friend of family, I'm here- 

I'm the kind of person that wants to fix everything- I can't fix everything, 

but I can offer my shoulders.

As Ringo Starr would have said- peace and love to you all.

xox